Pictures John Hopkins
WARRINGTON Town played out a goalless draw against Football League One side Accrington Stanley on Monday night.
In their third game of pre-season, the Yellows put in a good shift against a side four levels higher than them in the football pyramid.
Stanley, who had former Warrington midfielder Sam Finley as an unused substitute were admittedly at under strength but it made for a competitive game in front of a 478-strong crowd on a nice summer’s evening at Cantilever Park.
The Yellows were almost gifted the perfect start as Ben Garrity, who the watching Fleetwood Town boss Joey Barton may have had his eye on, intercepted a pass out by the goalkeeper and saw his shot deflected just wide of the post by the covering Harvey Rodgers.
Almost all of Accrington’s chances fell for the hapless Okera Simmonds, the first of which on 15 minutes when he headed wide.
He should have done better three minutes later when Warrington’s trialist goalkeeper was caught in no man’s land outside his box, the striker placing his shot wide of the unguarded goal.
The best chance for Stanley fell to Joe Pritchard, turning on the edge of the box and shooting across the face of the ‘keeper and just wide of the far post.
The game opened up a bit more in the second half, Warrington’s trialist goalkeeper was again caught outside his box, this time off a high Mark Roberts back pass, and he had to head the ball away to safety.
Warrington then started to make changes, with Shaun Beeley handed his first run out of pre-season.
A sharp shot from Simmonds was saved, while at the other end, substitute Josh Amis had the ball in the net with a good header off an excellent Alex Byrne cross, only for the referee to blow for a foul on an Accrington defender.
Simmonds’ best chance came just after the hour mark, a lovely clip down the line releasing Erico De Souza, his pinpoint cross looked like a gimme for the front man, but he fluffed his lines and the scrambling goalkeeper kept it out.
The Yellows’ best chance fell to Byrne on 76 minutes, his pressure forcing a mistake out of Zaine Angol, and put him through on the ‘keeper with a shooting chance. He opted to cut on to his favoured right though, and that gave enough time for Stanley to get back and smother the shot.
There was still time for Simmonds to draw another save out of the ‘keeper, and at the other end, a Garrity header created a chance for Connor McCarthy, only for the move to be brought to a halt again by the referee’s whistle for a foul.
Warrington are next in action at Widnes on Friday night, while their next home friendly is against City of Liverpool, managed by former Yellows favourite Craig Robinson, on August 6.
Warrington Town: Trialist, Carden (Beeley), Barnes (Trialist), Jennings (Sephton), Roberts, Raven (McCarten), Byrne, Garrity, Mackreth (McCarthy), Gray (Amis), Dunn.
Accrington Stanley: Bursik, Perritt, Angol, Trialist, Rodgers, Barclay, De Sousa, Trialist, Simmonds, Prichard, Trialist. Unused subs: Hughes, McConville, Clarke, Finley, Bishop, Sherie, Savin.
